What's in your water?

Although some may oppose chlorination, there are significant health advantages of disinfecting water that you drink. Before chlorination was widespread diseases such as typhoid and cholera spread across America because of bacterial infested drinking water. Poor drinking water also affects the lives of peoples in other countries as well. In Peru in the 1990’s there were almost half a million of cases of cholera reported because drinking water was not chlorinated. The reason that some people are against chlorination is because they are fearful of the by-products. Although people may think that unsafe drinking water only affects developing countries, there have been many recent cases of diseases linked to poor drinking water in the United States as well. In Milwaukee in 1993, Oxford in 1989, and in North Battleford in 2001 a deadly parasite killed many people and caused hundreds of thousands of cases of diarrhea. Chlorination and chlorine dioxide do not have a huge effect on the parasite and the only effective methods of disinfectant against it are ozonation and ultraviolet treatment. Although disinfectants usually work very well the equipment can sometimes break and unhealthy water can be distributed to the public.

Unfamiliar Terms
Chlorination: a common water purification process; the use of hypochlorous acid
(HOCL) to disinfect water.
Ozonation: the use of ozone to disinfect water supplies. Ozone air is bubbled through
water for about 10 minutes to kill waterborne viruses.
Ultraviolet treatment: the use of ultraviolet light to disinfect and purify water. Powerful
lamps containing mercury vapor, which emit ultraviolet light are immersed in the water flow. After a few seconds toxic microorganisms are destroyed.

The Sections in chapter 13 right before the short exert helped me understand the process of chlorination, ozonation and ultraviolet treatment and showed me the advantages and disadvantages of each. When most people, including myself, think of chlorination they think of chlorine swimming pools. People are turned off by the term “chlorination” because they imagine drinking swimming pool water. The chlorination of drinking water is not the same thing as the chlorination of swimming pools. In chlorination HOCL is used to kill microorganisms. Unlike swimming pool water, drinking water does not need to be continually disinfected. Swimming pool water must be constantly disinfected because microorganisms can build up in the pool. A high level of HOCl must be maintained. Some people are against chlorination because products of chlorinated organic substances are inevitable, are formed during chlorination and can be toxic. If water contains phenol, chlorinated phenols will form which have nasty odors and tastes and are toxic. Another compound that forms that concerns people is chloroform and even small amounts of chloroform in drinking water raises concern. Chloroform is a supposed liver carcinogen and can also have effects on the reproductive system. Besides these two other chlorinated organic compounds have cause DNA mutations. Because of these risks come places have stopped chlorination and have used ozone or chlorine dioxide instead.

After reading all of these sections (13.10- 13.17) I can see the advantages of chlorination, the inexpensive price and the almost certain disinfection of water; but I am also concerned about the health risks. Obviously any disinfectant is better than none, but I think communities should try to find and use the safest ways possible to disinfect drinking water. If ozone, ultraviolet light, and chlorine dioxide are safer than chlorination then those methods should be used even if they are more expensive. I think there is a general lack of knowledge about drinking water in the United States. Everyday we just turn on our faucets, showers, or sinks and use water without knowing where it came from and what is in it. Some people use distillers or other forms of disinfection, but there are many people in the country that are poor and are not educated about the water they are drinking. These are probably the areas where unhealthy water is most likely to be found. Water is such an important part of everyday life and more serious measures should be taken to make sure that everyone gets clean water around the United States and around the world.

Colin Baird. “the advantages of disinfecting drinking water”, Chemistry In Your Life. 2nd ed. 2006. 498-499

Colin Baird. Chemistry In Your Life. 2nd ed. 2006 493-499